Automatic fire-alarm trip.



F. A. KEHL & A. F/WRIGHT. AUTOMATIC FIRE ALARM TRIP. APPLICATION FILEDNOV.30, 1907.

INVENTOHS. FRANK A. KEHL, mouo E WRIGHT,

m: NORRIS PETERS C0,, WASHINGTON, D. c.

901,243. Patented 0011.13, 1908.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK ALBERT KEHL AND ARMOND' FREDERICKWRIGHT, OF TAGQMA, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMATIC FIRE'ulJaABlll'.v TRIP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 13', 1903.

Application filed November 30, 1907. Serial No.404,507.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK. A. KEHL and ARMOND F. WRIGHT, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Tacoma, in the county of Pierce andState of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Automatic Fire- Alarm Trips, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention isin the nature of an automatic fire alarm trip or devicedesigned to put into operation a fire alarm box by pulling down itsoperating lever whenever an electric circuit shall be closed through theelectro-magnetic devices forming part of our invention- It is designedto be used in connection with sprinkling systems, fire doors, firewindows or other devices used for fire protection and under the controlof an electric circuit, but more especially for such systems as areemployed in large factories where it is important that the firedepartment shall be apprized of the fire at the earliest possible momentin protection afforded by the sprinkling system.

Our invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement ot thetrip devices which are set into action by the closure of the electriccircuit and which are especially arranged to send in but a single alarm,and which are also so constructed as to permit the fire alarm box to beoperated without disturbing our trip mechanism.

In the drawing Figure 1 represents a perspective view partly in sectionshowing our invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail showing in sectionthe means for holding the trip lever in its set position.

Referring to Fig. 1, A represents the lever arm or hook of the firealarm box which is pulled down to send the fire alarm andwhich inourinvention. is automatically pulled down by the subjacent attacheddcvices. These devices are suitably arranged in a box or casing beneaththe casing of the fire alarm box, which it is not necessary to show.

B, B, B and B represent the sectional pull bar by which the fire alarmlever is pulled down, which pull bar is normally held in a verticalposition, and F and F, represent the trip lever which normally occupiesa horizontal position. This trip lever addition to the ,is under thenormal influence of a weight @E, and is held in horizontal position andirestrained ainst tipping by means of stop idevices contained within thecasing I, and under the control of an electro-magnet, so that when anelectric circuit is closed 'throngh said electro-magnet, the trip lever1F, F, responding to the overbalancing influence of the weight B will betilted to the dotted position, and in pulling. down the ,bar B, B, B andB will also pull down the attached. lever A of the fire alarm box, 1 andsend in the alarm.

, The pull bar is made in several sections- The upper section B has a:bifurcated coupling connected by a pin a to the lever of the fire alarmbox and at its lower end said section B is formed with an enlarged headb which plays freely within the barrel B. Normally this head I) rests inthe upper end of the barrel B so that when the subjacent trip lever Fpulls down thereupon, the power will, be transmitted to the lever of thefire alarm box, but if at any time it should be desired to pull down thefire alarm lever A without disturbing the position of the trip devicesbelow, the head I) at the lower end, of the section B of the pull barmoves freely down in the barrel B and permits of the independent use olithe fire alarm box.

The barrel B isscrewthreaded at its lower end and entering the same isthe screwthreaded end 6 of the middle section. B of the pull bar; Thisforms a means of vertical adjustment of the pull bar as to length, sothat the position of the box orcasing containing the trip devices inrelation to the fire alarm box above may be adjusted ac-. cording to thespace between the same. The lower end of the section. B of the pull baris detachably connected with the Socket 6 formed on the end of the lowermember B, which. in turn is pivoted at b to the trip lever F. The triplever F is fulcrumed upon a support G on a suitable base H, at a pointnear its middle and between the connection of the pull bar and theelectromagnetic stop device.

pull bar. The lower end 0 of the detent is bent at right angles and ismade to overlap and abut against the upper side of a tilting weightsupport D, fulcrumed at (Z to the Outer end of the tilting lever F. On ahornlike projection at the outer end of this lever D is suspended aWeight E of approximately one pound. The locking engagement of the end 0of the detent C against the end of the lever D maintains the latter in ahorizontal position with the weight upon its outer end, but when thetilting lever F assumes the deflected position shown in dotted lines,the lever D is withdrawn from locking engagement with the end 0 of thedetent G, and a secondary movement of the lever D follows successively,with the result that the weight E is entirely dumped or discharged fromthe end thereof. The purpose of discharging the weight is to permit thetilting lever to again assume its horizontal position and to prevent thetripping apparatus from repeating its operation and of sending in asuccession of alarms.

On the end of the tilting lever F cooperating with the electro-magneticstop devices is attached a defiectable end F pivotally connected at h tothe lever F and having recesses k adapted to engage pins [L on the leverF so as to form a species of knuckle joint which breaks upwardly but isrigid with the lever F as against any downward pressure on its end. Thisknuckle extension F is normally held, together with the lever F, in itshorizontal position by means of a friction roller K mounted in the upperend of a tilting bar J fulcrumed at its lower end within the casing Iand pressed outwardly into engagement with the knuckle by a coil springm.

L is a trigger pivotally connected at Z to the stop bar J, and normallyheld up, with the stop bar J overhanging the knuckle F, by means of thearmature M arranged in front of the electro-magnet N.

Assuming that the terminal wires 00 and 1 of this electro-magnetare-within the circuit of the sprinkling system or other means forsounding an alarm, it will be seen that when the electric circuit isclosed through the electro-magnet, the armature M will be drawn to theposition shown in dotted lines, and being taken away from its positionbeneath the trigger L, the knuckle F will be strained upwardly by meansof the weight E on the opposite end of the trip lever, to force thefriction roller K toward the electro-magnet and allow the knuckle F torise to the dotted position, thereby tilting the lever F and dischargingthe weight as hereinbefore described. After the weight is discharged, areturn of the lever F to its horizontal position is permitted by virtueof the upwardly bending knuckle F which, descending, is deflected on itsaxis it until the end of the knuckle again rests below the frictionroller K in its normal set position.

This trip device automatically calls the fire department the moment thatthere is suflicient fire in the factory or other building to start thesprinkling system, and thus enables the fire department to be on theground much more quickly. No matter how many separate sprinkling systemsthere may be in the factory or other building, all may be connected tothe one trip device and the fire department will be called at oncestarting of any one of the sprinkling systems. This saves the expense offire watchmen to ring in an alarm to the fire department and does itmuch more quickly than could be done by hand.

The trip can be made any size and adjusted so as to pull down the hookto fire box a short distance or a long distance.

The trip may be used on any kind of a fire alarm boX now in use withoutinterfering in the least with the box.

Any number of sprinkling systems, fire doors or fire windows, or otherdevices for giving alarm, and any number of either or all of them, maybe attached to one trip, and if any one of them is sprung, the alarmwill be sent in. The idea being that this trip can be attached to asprinkling system, fire door and fire window at the same time, or to anynumber of either or all.

We claim 1. A trip device for operating a fire alarm, comprising a pullbar, a trip lever connected to the pull bar and having at one end anelectro-mag'netic stop device arranged to be released by a currentimpulse and having at the other end a weight with means for relievingthe lever of the strain of the weight by the tilting of said lever.

2. A trip device for operating a fire alarm, comprising a pull barhaving in its length a slip extension for the independent movement ofthe upper end of the pull bar, a trip lever connected to the bottom ofthe pull bar and having at one end an electro-magnetic stop devicearranged to be released by a current impulse and having at the other enda weight with means for relieving the lever of the strain of the weightby the tilting of said lever.

3. A trip device for operating a fire alarm, comprising a pull bar madelongitudinally adjustable, a trip leverconnected to the pull bar andhaving at one end an electro-magnetic stop device arranged to bereleased by a current impulse and having at the other end a weight withmeans for relieving the lever of the strain of the weight by the tiltingof said lever.

4. A trip device for operating a fire alarm, comprising a pull bar, atrip lever connected to the pull bar and having at one end anelectro-magnetic stop device arranged to be released by a currentimpulse and having at the other end a secondary tilting support, a

upon the i wei ht arranged thereon, and a detent for hol ing the saidsupport until the trip lever is tilted.

5. A trip device for operating a fire alarm, comprising a pull bar, atrip lever connected to the pull bar and having at one end a knuckleextension arranged to be deflected in one direction and to be rigid inthe other direction, an electro magnetic stop device engaging therewith,and arranged to be released by a current impulse, and a weight arrangedon the other end of the trip lever.

6. The combination with the operating arm of a fire alarm apparatus, ofa pull bar, a tilting lever attached thereto, electro-magnetic devicesfor releasing said lever, a Weight for maintaining the horizontalposition of the tilting lever, and means for discharging said weightfrom the change in the angular position of said lever.

7 The combination with the operating arm of a fire alarm apparatus, of apull bar having on its lower end a spring seated detent, a tilting leverpivoted to said pull bar, a weight support maintained in normal positionby the spring seated detent, a weight mounted on the support, and meansfor holding and releasing the tilting lever automatically.

FRANK ALBERT KEHL. ARMOND FREDERICK WRIGHT. Witnesses:

GUY E. KELLY, JAMES GARVEY.

